Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Appwrite, ensure your system is up to date. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance, whether you're setting it up locally or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Docker and Docker Compose

Appwrite is deployed using Docker, so you'll need to install Docker and Docker Compose. First, install Docker:

sudo apt install docker.io -y
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
            

Now install Docker Compose:

sudo apt install docker-compose -y
            

Step 3: Download Appwrite

Create a directory for Appwrite and navigate into it:

mkdir ~/appwrite
cd ~/appwrite
            

Create a docker-compose.yml file for Appwrite:

nano docker-compose.yml

Add the following configuration to the file:

version: '3.3'

services:
    appwrite:
        image: appwrite/appwrite:latest
        container_name: appwrite
        ports:
            - "80:80"
            - "443:443"
        environment:
            - _APP_ENV=development
            - _APP_DB_HOST=mariadb
            - _APP_DB_USER=root
            - _APP_DB_PASS=password
            - _APP_DB_NAME=appwrite
            - _APP_INFLUX_HOST=influxdb
            - _APP_INFLUX_PORT=8086
        depends_on:
            - mariadb
            - influxdb
        restart: unless-stopped

    mariadb:
        image: mariadb:latest
        container_name: mariadb
        environment:
            MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
            MYSQL_DATABASE: appwrite
        volumes:
            - mariadb_data:/var/lib/mysql
        restart: unless-stopped

    influxdb:
        image: influxdb:latest
        container_name: influxdb
        environment:
            INFLUXDB_DB: appwrite
            INFLUXDB_ADMIN_USER: admin
            INFLUXDB_ADMIN_PASSWORD: password
        volumes:
            - influxdb_data:/var/lib/influxdb
        restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
    mariadb_data:
    influxdb_data:
            

Save and exit the file (press CTRL + X, then Y and ENTER).

Step 4: Start Appwrite

Run the following command to start the Appwrite services:

sudo docker-compose up -d

This command will download the necessary images and start the Appwrite container along with its dependencies.

Step 5: Access Appwrite

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://your-server-ip

You should see the Appwrite installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Appwrite instance.

Step 6: Secure Appwrite with Let's Encrypt SSL (Optional)

To secure your Appwrite installation with SSL, use Let's Encrypt. Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot -y

Run Certbot to obtain and install the SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

Certbot will automatically configure SSL for your Appwrite instance, ensuring secure access to the platform, whether it is hosted locally or on a Windows VPS hosting UK.